2017 Able Muse Write Prize

Able Muse Write Prize (for Poetry & Flash Fiction) -- 2017

$500 prize for the best poem, and $500 prize for the best short story (flash fiction), plus publication in Able Muse (the print journal).
Finalists in each category will also be considered for publication.

Blind Judging by the Final Judges (Annie Finch for poetry, Jill Alexander Essbaum for flash fiction).

Initial screening will be done by readers from our contest selection committee—consisting of accomplished and award-winning poets and writers, with members renewed yearly—who will also be reading the entries blind. Thus, judging of the contest will be completely anonymous from start to finish!

Entries may not be previously published.

Simultaneous submissions accepted as long as we're immediately notified if your work is accepted elsewhere.

Unlimited entries per person for one or both categories

For poetry entries, all styles are welcome (metrical or free verse).

For poetry entries, each entry may contain 1 to 5 poems maximum, but all the poems combined should not exceed 16 pages per entry.

For fiction entries, each entry may contain 1 to two stories maximum (each story should be flash fiction/short-short-short under 1,500 words each, typed double-spaced).

We prefer online entries, however, paper/snail mail entry is available for those who insist on the traditional submission method.

If you wish to enter in both cateogries or if you enter more than once in one or both categories, then a separate entry fee and submission form must be completed for each entry.

If you're entering by paper/snail mail, the manuscripts cannot be returned so, do not send us your only copies.

For paper/snail mail entries, include an SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) to receive the announcement of the winners.

The contests will be judged blind by the final judge, so:

Author's name should only appear on cover page and nowhere else.

Initial screening will be done by our contest selection committee—consisting of accomplished and award-winning poets and writers, with members renewed yearly—which may include Able Muse editors.

The final judges will received anonymized manuscripts (five to ten each depending and the number of total entries and their quality).

The final judge will be instructed to disqualify any work that he/she recognizes. The entry fee for the work thus disqualified will be refunded.

the total number of lines for all poems combined / total word count for all stories combined. (For deriving line or word count, do not include, blank lines, the poem or story title, epigraphs in the line/word count.)

the poet's/writer's name

address

phone number, and

email address.

For paper/snail mail entries, send a single manuscript only (i.e., NO duplicate).

Only send one file attachment with 1 to 5 poems or 1 to 2 stories in a single file, with the cover page prepared as described in the blind judging section above (do NOT attach a separate file for each poem or story! And the cover letter can be included in the same file as the poems or stories, but in the introductory page(s).)

There should be no identification in the section of the manuscript pages that contain the poems or stories as described in the blind judging section above.

By check: Able Muse Review, and sent to the contest address indicated above.

To enable us to match your payment to your entry, be sure to indicate the name you entered with (i.e. your pen name, etc.), if it's different from the one under which payment was made, and this applies for online as well as check payment by snail mail.

Comments

The link which you say will take to a place where I can pay simply sends me to a page where I can start the entry form from and tells me to pay and that if I have not paid I should click on a link which sends me back to this page. I've gone in circles several times now looking for a way to pay online. Could you please provide a working link to where I can pay the entry fee?

** 2014 update: please ignore the instructions below. We now use WePay and the payment, and their payment page and process is straightforward and self-explanatory, unlike the now defunct Google Checkout ****

If your browser is not behaving properly, you may want to try a different one if you have one installed. Most of the time, that resolves the problem. If not use the 'contact us' link at the top to report any further problems.

Just to clarify, if we're sending poems for submissions, will they judge the poems collectively or inidividually....I just want to know if it'd be best to send my best one, or since I'm allowed to send a total of 5, I should send 4 more...but I don't want to hurt my chances with older (lesser) poems, lol.....
Thanks...
-Matthew s.

Hi Jie,
The results for last year's (2012) contest were announced around mid-August last 2012 and all the contest entrants were notified directly of this by email. If you had entered the contest and somehow missed this, you can find the announcement here.
Best,
...Alex

When you get to the Google payment page, you should see the credit card payment form, OR a sign in/login form. If you find the login, it means you already have a Google account that you’ve used on that PC (e.g. Gmail, Google+, Google Wallet, etc.), and in that case simply login to the Google account to see the credit card payment form.

If the above doesn't work, then it might be a cookie problem with your browser/PC, and using a different browser/PC often resolves the problem.

Hi Richard,
That sounds like a borderline case, but it sounds just long enough to qualify. So, go ahead and enter. Note though that this page is for the Write Prize. You need to enter the Book Award contest at http://www.ablemusepress.com/ablemuse-book-award .
Best,
...Alex

Yes, you can pay by check. That information is included in the guidelines. Just scroll up to item 3 above in the guidelines for the payee and snail mail address for check/money order entry.
Still, here's an important note about Google Checkout for those having problems with it:

IMPORTANT: When you get to the Google payment page, you should see the credit card payment form, OR a sign in/login form. If you find the login, it means you already have a Google account that you’ve used on that PC (e.g. Gmail, Google+, Google Wallet, etc.), and in that case simply login to the Google account to see the credit card payment form.
If the above doesn't work, then it might be a cookie problem with your browser/PC, and using a different browser/PC often resolves the problem.
OR,
If all that fail or you're not comfortable paying online, then you can simply pay by check/money order through snail mail – for that, from the above listed contest link (http://www.ablemusepress.com/ablemuse-write-prize#enter_contest), simply scroll up to item 3. Where the snail mail address is indicated.

After work is submitted through the online entry form, are we to get a confirmation email? I recieved one for payment, but not for the submission and I was worried it didn't go through. Does anyone know if a confirmation is sent out?

Hi Larry,
If it's a workshop that periodically prunes workshop posts, then it's fine to submit to the contest, and we don't consider the material published.
However, if it's a workshop that permanently archives the posts online, meaning that it's forever accessi ble online, then we consider the material published and won't accept it for the contest.
Best,
...Alex

Use the contact form (http://www.ablemusepress.com/contact) to query us privately, including your identifying information, and we'll check our records and make sure it was properly received.
Best,
...Alex

Alex, there may not be time for me to receive a reply to this before the new closing date, but I'm a little confused by the archived/non-archived distinction. More specifically, are pieces that have appeared on the Eratosphere Metrical board eligible or not? Regards, Brian

Dear Alex,
I thought I would pay my contest fee by check, so I indicated this on the contest form, then submitted my entry. Later I decided to pay by Google Wallet, which I then did. Thus, my contest entry will appear one way, but the payment was already made, and therefore no check will arrive. How do I get my Google Wallet receipt number to you for verification?
Andrea

Unfortunately, there's no Paypal payment method. However, if you don't want to disclose your credit card information to WePay (the third-party credit card processor), you can pay the old-fashioned way by check/money order: Just go to http://www.ablemusepress.com/ablemuse-write-prize#enter_contest and scroll slightly up from there -- in brief, it's $15 per entry, check payable to Able Muse Review and snail-mailed to:

<p>I submitted five poems, paid on line, tried to submit as docx, but refused, so I changed file to rtf. I then got an email that said error, completely garbled words followed. Did you get my submission?</p>

Hi Alex. Another question on payment, because it is very confusing. Since you now have two separate avenues for payment and submission(the 3rd party WePay), how do they merge? I'm ready to use WePay, but it still asks for the Google Checkout thing in the online form for submission, and it can't be skipped. So what do I do to prevent double payment?

PS- I can't very well send the payment by snail mail from India now, just saw it today. Please reply ASAP

As you can see below, users are told that files with "docx" extension are not allowed, and then "docx" is listed after "please upload a file with . . . . So which is it? I tried "docx," the extension for the most recent version of Word. Didn't work, so I saved the submission as a 97-2003 version and that one was accepted. This conflicting instruction may be reason other folks are experiencing some difficulty. Also date on my submission is yesterday. On the bright side, very nice, this ability to communicate with administrator and resolve problems quickly.

I want to enter your Fiction Contest, but heck if I can see how to pay you my entrance fee!! I went to WePay but it is all aimed at someone with a brand or service they want to get paid for. No result searching for Able Muse. Why can't you just put a payment link on the Entrance Form page? Alex writes above "Please, click the green 'Add to Cart' button above, and then, follow the instructions." What add to cart button? Where? Not on this page or the entrance form page.